In Kentucky, a Senate Candidate With a Pedigree for Agitation

Thursday

Nov 26, 2009 at 5:09 AM

His father proved to be a surprising presence in the presidential race in 2008. Now Rand Paul has become a contender in the 2010 Senate race in Kentucky.

IAN URBINA

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Representative Ron Paul proved to be a surprising presence in the presidential race in 2008. Now his son, Dr. Rand Paul, has become an unexpected contender in the 2010 Senate race in Kentucky.

Dr. Paul — an ophthalmologist and a son of the congressman, a Texas Republican and former presidential candidate — has become a serious challenger in the race to succeed Senator Jim Bunning.

Capitalizing on a hearty distrust of government and an anti-Republican-establishment fervor among conservatives, he has used the Internet to raise more than $1.3 million since he began his campaign in August.

“This primary is really about the future of our party,” said Dr. Paul, 46, who has lived in Kentucky since 1993 and has never run for public office before.

“The Republican platform specifically says we don’t believe in bailing out private business, and yet we did,” Dr. Paul said in a break between cataract operations. “The Republican platform also specifically says we don’t believe in government ownership of private businesses, and yet a lot of Republicans voted for that.”

Dr. Paul has seen a surge in popularity and fund-raising in the last several months, setting the stage for what pundits here say could be one of the most expensive and competitive primary contests in state history.

Much like his father, who used the Internet to raise more than $35 million for his long-shot presidential bid, Dr. Paul has tapped the enthusiasm of fiscal conservatives, libertarians and young Republicans on college campuses. In the process, he has dashed his party’s hopes that its preferred candidate, Secretary of State Trey Grayson, might cruise through the May primary unscathed.

A fervent opponent of big government, Dr. Paul believes that federal authorities should stay out of drug enforcement, and that same-sex marriage, which he opposes, should be a decision left to the states. He supports gun rights and thinks abortions should be illegal, even in cases of rape, incest or where the life of the pregnant woman is at stake. Unlike his father, Dr. Paul opposes all legislative earmarks, even those that might benefit his constituents.

“I consider myself a constitutional conservative and a part of the insurgency that’s going on out there,” he said.

Dr. Paul, however, has not received financial support from Senator Jim DeMint, Republican of South Carolina, who is chairman of the Senate Conservatives Fund and has become a kingmaker for conservative challengers.

“A surprising number of voters are drawn to Paul,” said Joe Gershtenson, a government professor at Eastern Kentucky University. It is still not clear, however, how many of those people are registered Republicans who will be able to vote in the primary, Professor Gershtenson said.

“They may see Paul as less electable now,” he said. “But they also view him as being separate from the establishment, and they seem to have faith that his odds will improve with time.”

Mr. Grayson disagrees.

“The celebrity factor is what is attracting people now,” said Mr. Grayson, who was a lawyer before being elected secretary of state in 2003. “Mr. Paul has his dad’s following and his dad’s e-mail list, and he has shown he can raise money outside the state.”

But before long, Mr. Grayson said, voters will see that Dr. Paul’s views are out of step with this state’s values.

“Mr. Paul believes we should close Guantánamo and return those terrorists to Afghanistan; Kentucky voters would not agree,” he said. “Mr. Paul believes federal authorities should not have a role in drug enforcement, but Kentucky voters know we have a drug problem here in the state, and they certainly would disagree with that, too.”

Others share that view.

“Grayson will win because Paul’s views are extreme and he will turn off social conservatives,” said Mike Bryant, the Breathitt County Republican Party chairman, who maintains a blog called TooKookyforKentucky, which highlights some of the more controversial positions espoused by Dr. Paul and his father.

Like Dr. Paul, Mr. Grayson, 37, said he opposed the federal bailout, abortion rights and same-sex marriage. Mr. Grayson has the support of the state’s most powerful politician, the Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, who hosted a fund-raiser in Washington for him in September, helping him amass the $1.2 million he raised from May to October.

But the race still has some wild cards.

Senator Bunning, 78, has accused Republican leaders of forcing him into retirement. As payback, he could endorse Dr. Paul.

Catherine Todd Bailey, President George W. Bush’s ambassador to Latvia and a prodigious fund-raiser, has quietly expressed interest in joining the race. If she does, she would most likely take more votes from Mr. Grayson than from Dr. Paul.

Dr. Paul said he intended to keep his campaign focused on the federal bailout, taxes and jobs, which, he said, are topics that concern Kentucky voters far more than social issues.

“Like me, a lot of people are concerned about the fiscal situation,” said Dr. Paul, who is married to Kelley Paul and has three sons, ages 10, 12 and 16. Since August, Dr. Paul has been splitting his time between his campaign and his ophthalmology practice.

Dr. Paul said that aside from being inspired by his father’s success in building a movement, he was also motivated to run for office by a frustration with the national debt and with the disconnect he sees between elected leaders and voters. He has been doing traditional outreach through direct mail, television and radio, while also using Twitter, Facebook and other social-networking sites to get his message out.

“We have the message and the money,” he said, “and the combination of those factors is proving really strong for us.”

But the source of Dr. Paul’s money has become a focus of criticism.

“When voters really start paying attention,” Mr. Grayson said, “they’re going to find out that one candidate is getting 90 percent from Kentucky and the other is getting 80 percent of his money from out of state. And that is not going to sit well with them.”

While Kentucky is solidly Democratic by voter registration, residents tend to back Republicans in federal races. The party holds both Senate seats and four of six House seats.

Scott Lasley, a political science professor at Western Kentucky University, said that whoever won the Republican primary would have the advantage in the general election, but would still face a strong challenge from the Democrats.

For the Democratic nomination, Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo is running against Attorney General Jack Conway.

“The Republicans need to be careful not to wear themselves out before the general,” Professor Lasley said.